NHS cuts force GPs to consider turning to private healthcare

11th May 2011

A third of GPs have said they are more likely to turn to private healthcare for their own treatment because of swingeing cuts within the NHS, a survey has shown.

Health magazine Pulse found that increased waiting times, staff cuts and budget cuts had affected the way which NHS doctors viewed the environment they worked in, with a larger amount than ever saying that they would be more likely to go private for treatment.

Just over a half of respondents, however, said the changes would not affect their inclination to use private healthcare.

Almost 6,000 people were questioned in the Pulse survey.

Dr Paul Silverton, a GP in Newmarket, Suffolk, told the news provider: "It is clear that we are seeing waiting times for surgery and services starting to increase and the recent changes in the NHS can only accelerate this trend."

Spire Healthcare commissioned a survey earlier in the year which found that an increasing number of GPs were likely to refer patients to private care, rather than join ever-growing NHS waiting lists.